Last night, as I caught up on Facebook, Twitter, and Glee, simultaneously, I came across a tweet from one of the folks I follow via about four different accounts that sparked my interest since I'd caught a glimmer of something brewing over at Etsy about a recent featured seller interview. It's taken me awhile to wrap my brain around what's going on, working my way backwards. Today, I've been perusing the Etsy forums and news blog and read this post, which is obviously, but not directly (they've yet to issue a direct statement or apology about essentially featuring a distributor), in relation to the interview and resulting kerkuffle. Etsy now describes the seller/shop as a "collective," since the seller supposedly works with a half-dozen or so, first-name-only "carpenters." 

Now, don't get me wrong, I love me some Etsy. I do a fair amount of shopping there and, of course, make my meager living thanks to how easy the site has made it for me to begin and grow my business. But thank God for Regretsy at times like these, right? If you're curious about the latest kerkuffle (is the shop a "collective", which itself poses some interesting questions for the site, or is it a "reseller", which is a whole 'nother bag of worms?), I suggest you read Regretsy's series of posts on the topic, in this order: whoa, then the who and the what now?, then un-freakin'-believable. It will rock your handmade world.

I wrote in my pre-marathon post that I'd have a recap in the week or so following the marathon... Next week, next month - who's keeping track, right? But seriously, now, did you think I was still out there? Like the epic finish in Run Fat Boy Run?  Well, I'll cut to the chase and let you know that I did indeed finish, only about five hours and fifty minutes after I started. But I finished. Let's back up a bit, though, shall we?

On Saturday, as planned, I headed to the race expo to pick up my bib, finisher's shirt, and a pathetic assortment of freebies. In fact, all I managed to squeeze out of that expo was a Gu sample and a Geico lizard pez for my son. I wasn't expecting much, though - as a young marathon (well, the return of it, anyway), the ORF expo is notorious for leaving runners feeling a little underwhelmed.


After the expo, we headed to the Team in Training inspiration luncheon, where I loaded up on a couple of different kinds of pasta, a little bit of salad, and, because I have absolutely no willpower, several pieces of at least three different kinds of cookies.  It's a good thing lunch was substantial because my pre-marathon dinner, despite having made it before, didn't turn out too well. I ended up having a small bowl of the mac 'n' cheese I'd made for my son and some peanut butter crackers later that evening. Otherwise, I spent the afternoon and evening relying on Neal to tend to our son as I fretted over making sure I was ready for the next morning.   I was on the fence about decorating my shirt, but in the end I did what most of my TNT teammates did and I have to say, hearing a total stranger holler out a personalized few words of encouragement put a huge, goofy smile on my face every time. "Oh my God, Becky, look at that hill. It is so big." (I'm just kidding, no one really said that.)

So what did I watch for my final "pasta and a movie" night? Nothing running related - after watching Running the Sahara the night before and having a really hard time falling asleep (that American runner is a piece of work, huh?), I didn't want to take any chances on Saturday night's sleep. I know we watched the remake of Footloose sometime that weekend, but I honesty can't remember if it was the night before or the night after. It did get me thinking about a dance movie series leading up to the premier of So You Think You Can Dance...but that's another post entirely.

I slept pretty well that night, surprisingly, waking up at 5 am Sunday morning to begin getting ready. I took a shower, chose one of the two finalist running outfits (going with my tights over the running skirt I'd only worn for shorter runs), enjoyed a breakfast of peanut butter toast with banana and a cup of coffee, and headed to Snow Park, deceptively similar in routine to my weekly morning runs. I didn't plan on listening to music during the marathon but did want a song or two to get pumped up on the way. I never did get around to creating an on-the-way playlist but I lucked out when Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger" came on (is it "(Stronger) What Doesn't Kill You" or "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"?), followed by Britney Spears (I forget which song...Does it matter?), both perfect for getting in the running spirit.


The entire pre-race experience in Oakland was so different than my memories of Big Sur (getting up cuh-razy early, being bussed to the starting area, waiting forever for a porta potty, only to feel rushed to finally get in line to begin!).  It took me all of ten minutes to drive and park at the corner of Harrison and Grand.  I walked the couple of blocks from there to Snow Park, chose one of several empty porta potties, changed out of my warm-up clothes and checked my bag, and still had time to pose for a picture and take one of my own of the starting area before heading to the TNT meeting spot.


There was much concern about the weather, as earlier in the week the forecast was pretty solidly calling for rain. But, as you can see from the image above, the clouds parted and the sun was rising. All of which put me in a downright giddy mood.


I warmed up a bit with my fellow TNT teammates before walking back to Snow Park, pictured above, and made my way to the back of the group, knowing I'd likely finish after even the final pace group (pacing runners to a 5 hour finish).


The 5K race started right after the full marathon so we had quite an audience.  I enjoyed an encore serenade from Kelly (it's a popular running playlist selection, can you tell?) and nervous chatter with a few other TNT runners. And then we were off.

The first 10-11 miles were perfect. After being sidelined for almost the entire month of February, I was just so happy to be out there running, so far, pain-free.  We ran from uptown to downtown and back again, then made our way near Piedmont, along Telegraph in the Temescal and finally, up the long Broadway hill.  Maybe hill training paid off in the end because I really didn't think it was too bad.  Slow and gradual and never quite as challenging as I remember Big Sur's Hurricane Point to be:


Here's Oakland's elevation chart, to compare:


They're actually pretty similar so I'm not sure what I did differently this time. Kept my head down and ran "through the hill," as Coach Al says. The real kicker, as far as hills go, were the "rolling hills" that immediately followed, between miles 9 and 11.  That last bit, right before mile 11, got me walking for the first time this marathon.


But the view from the top was well worth it. This picture doesn't do it justice, but that's San Francisco there in the center of the image, running alongside the Mormon Temple (not pictured; the golden dome you see is actually the Greek Orthodox Church just down the hill from the Mormon Temple...either way, they both enjoy killer views). I continued to walk a bit down this steep decline until we were solidly in Oakland's Dimond district, worried that any steep downhill running would kill my knees, and still tentatively just waiting for the IT band pain to start up.

It was more or less downhill or flat from that point on.  I was hoping to rendez-vous with the fam' near Fruitvale Bart, the 14 mile mark, but a half-hour wait for the bus delayed them getting to that point. And I obviously wasn't going to wait around! My time was pretty good at this point, too, holding a steady 10:30-11 minute mile pace, and I started to get my hopes up for a PR, despite that not being in the game plan a couple of hours before.  Probably not coincidentally, since 14 miles was my longest run pre-marathon, I hit a little bit of a wall, I guess you could say, around then. Maybe it was the disappointment of not seeing friends and family I'd hoped to see between miles 13 and 14, maybe it was the pain in my feet (when I'd been expecting it in my knees, not my feet!), or maybe it was the knowledge that despite being in the flats, I had 12+ miles to go. Whatever it was, things got, well, challenging between miles 14 and 20.  I was running from water stop to water stop at that point, roughly every two miles, when I'd walk a bit.


My average pace slowed considerably at this point and there went my brief dreams of a marathon PR. I was also bummed that there wasn't more distraction along the course - I'd been really pumped up about the bands (several of which canceled due to the forecasted possibility of rain) and what I'd heard was a pretty good community turnout in different neighborhoods. There were some areas of note (Rockridge Bart area, Montclair Village, the Dimond district, the kids from St. Elizabeth High in Fruitvale, for example), but overall it was pretty quiet along International Blvd. You definitely got the feeling that there were a lot of folks surprised by the road closures, crossing over the lanes anyway and resulting in much horn-honking and police whistles. Kind of annoying and very different from my experience in Big Sur.

But, just in the nick of time, the much-anticipated "arch of fire" appeared ahead of me along 7th Street.


There I am, running through it. The actual fire wasn't as impressive as I'd imagined - in fact, you can barely see it in this picture - but whatever, dude, I ran through fire.


The next few miles felt pretty good. My feet were really killing me at this point but I enjoyed running through one of the few areas of Oakland I haven't spent a lot of time in - West Oakland. Now home to the fairly well-known Brown Sugar Kitchen (which I think is pictured in the thumbnail image below, if I remember correctly), there aren't all that many reasons to head out that way, other than picking up the occasional postacrd order from PS Print, or making my way from Target or Michael's to 880.  But I really enjoyed this section for some reason.


I was also sufficiently rejuvenated by the TNT cheer station around mile 20 or so and an appearance by mentor and now ultra-runner Anya (who briefly ran alongside me - in boots!) and Mama Lisa and her cowbell shortly after.  I had my phone so Neal could track me and so I could take pictures and I'd packed my single ear bud just in case I felt I needed music. Well, after about mile 22 or so, shortly before hitting the lake, I felt I needed it.  It did help a bit but the lake was still tough.  It's become such an easy 3 to 3 1/2 mile loop that I've run four times in one week before (and sometimes twice around in one run), but that lake has never felt so endless as it did between miles 24 and 26.  The real kicker was when we turned onto Lakeshore Ave., instead of running on the sidewalk or trail that hugs the lake, they had us on the street.  But unlike the first 23 miles, we were limited to the bike lane, the area of the road that's really banked. Finding the higher, flat portion of the road wasn't an option and just that little bit of side incline, after a challenging 23 miles already, resulted in a tweaked peroneus brevis tendon in my left foot that took a solid three to four weeks to fully recover.


But not finishing was never an option, certainly not this close to the finish line. With a 7 hour time limit, I figured I could probably finish even if I had to walk most of it! So there I am, above, between miles 25 and 26, making my way around the north side of the lake to the start/finish area.


I finished strong, with the final .2 incline and Neal and Elias finally in view.


Five hours, fifty minutes later. No PR for me, but I finished and I finished running and my knees never gave me any problems. My feet were another story. It probably didn't help that we wandered around the finish area for a solid half-hour, trying to decide if I wanted to go to the victory celebration at Luka's Taproom or if I'd prefer to just go home for a cold bath, a hot shower, and a long nap.


I opted for the latter.  I actually felt pretty miserable immediately after finishing, which is different than my memories of Big Sur. After Big Sur I remember most of my pain disappearing as soon as I stopped running, and generally alternating between feelings of euphoria and ravenous hunger.  But after Oakland I felt nauseous and dead-tired and the pain most definitely did not go away until I was completely off my feet for awhile.


That said, it didn't take me long to rally. I soaked in the cold bath as long as I could stand it, followed by a warm shower, and about an hour-long nap. Around 4 pm I woke up but stayed in bed for awhile, until I felt ready to don my ORF 2012 finisher's shirt and head to Fenton's with the fam' for a celebratory BLT and sundae.  So worth it.

Fast-forward almost five weeks and I'm finally feeling fully recovered. My foot was causing me so much pain in the days immediately following the marathon that I went to my podiatrist the Wednesday after where she confirmed the strained tendon mentioned above, pretty certain nothing was broken or torn, and recommended these insoles, which are finally on their way.  I've only run four or five times since the marathon (instead spending much of my workout time tackling Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred) with the last couple of runs feeling pretty darn good, making it all the way around the lake without stopping, without foot or knee pain, and even pushing my typical 9 minute mile pace yesterday morning. But I don't have any immediate plans for another race, nor did I stay on with TNT as a mentor, despite being very tempted to apply. As much as I enjoy the group and the training, something had to come off the plate and that was the most obvious choice. But I raised almost $2000, surpassing my minimum fundraising commitment by a couple hundred dollars (almost $500 if you take my alumni status and discount into consideration) and feel pretty good about my marathon finish, slow as it was, particularly considering where I was just a couple of months ago. And I'm happy that I'm done!

And just like that, almost five months later, the marathon is just two days away!  I haven't watched any running movies yet this week, but I have done a whole lotta carbo-loading.  Here's what my week of working out less and eating more has looked like so far:

Monday
As I'm looking at my calendar now, I honestly can't remember what I did for exercise or what I ate that evening. That's the kind of week it's been, but more on that in a bit...

Tuesday
A ha! Tuesday! Tuesday I remember!  I opted out of the last morning "buddy run" of the season in favor of sleeping in (y'know, until the late, late hour of 6:30) since Elias decided this week would be a great week to get sick - again (okay, okay, I know it's not his fault, but seriously, folks - talk about bad timing) - and was up about 2/3 of Sunday night with a seal bark-like croupy cough. Nobody slept well and it always seems to take a few decent nights to recover from one bad one.  Miraculously, I did manage to muster up enough energy to do a 45 minute cardio workout later in the day, never quite feeling up for a run.

Over the weekend I had perused my pasta and a movie series, picked out what worked well, added a few recipes, and planned my meals out in advance, having pasta and protein in the beginning of the week, and slowly transitioning to less protein, more carbs as the week has progressed, specifically carbs that are a bit lighter and quicker to digest like orzo and rice.  To that end, on Tuesday we had a mix of vegetable radiatore and whole grain penne with Trader Joe's turkey bolognese sauce, along with some asparagus on the side.

Wednesday
Since I woke up feeling the slightest tickle in my throat, I took no chances and my only activity consisted of walking around Costco that afternoon.  I made a tuna pasta salad for dinner, the leftovers of which I enjoyed today for lunch.

Thursday
Still feeling congested but overall pretty good, I went for an easy "dress rehearsal" 3-miler. I wore almost all the gear I plan to wear on Sunday. For dinner I made a chicken, orzo, and pomegranate salad.



Friday
That's today! No running for me, no sir! I'll do some stretching and icing tonight, after a dinner of Santa Rosa Valley Salad.

Saturday
Tomorrow will be another rest day. I haven't told Neal yet, but I fully intend to follow coach's orders and stay in bed as long as possible tomorrow morning.  To quote Mama Lisa:

On Saturday, do sleep late. At least stay in bed and stare at the ceiling. This may not be so easy. You are going to be keyed up, but if you think of the next morning and its demands, you may decide to remain stationary a little longer.

Aye, aye, cap'n! Once I feel sufficiently rested and ready for the day, we'll head to the ORF Expo to pick up my race bib, packet, maybe buy a t-shirt, etc.  Most of my final stretch of carbo-loading will take place at an "inspiration luncheon" tomorrow with the rest of my Team in Training peeps.


For dinner, I plan to make this black rice salad with butternut squash and pomegranate seeds. I had a great run the morning after that meal a couple months back, so that's what I'm going with for my last supper, pre-marathon.

So far, tapering and eating well this week are the two things that have gone pretty well. How 'bout we get into what hasn't gone so well?

Monday
As I mentioned already, the wee one was sick the earlier part of this week. I remember looking at him at some point on Friday last week, our "mommy day" together each week, and thinking, "man, he looks beat." Never a good sign. Sure enough, by Saturday evening/Sunday morning it was clear he was coming down with a minor cold, at least.  That minor cold turned into a horrible croupy cough that had me calling the advice line around 10 pm on Sunday night and Neal sleeping in his room Sunday night, while I took Monday night. If you've never had the experience of taking care of a kid with croup let me just say it seems usually, thankfully, a lot scarier than it actually is. Anything that messes with that tiny airway is cause for concern.  Additionally, he had a little bit of conjunctivitis (not sure if it was officially "pink eye" and, contrary to common belief post "Knocked Up", pink eye is not, in fact, caused by getting feces in your eye. At least, I'm pretty sure it's not. It's basically just what happens when the virus causing the cold symptoms affects the eyes and results in "eye boogers" and redness.).

It goes without saying that Monday Elias stayed home from school with me.  We braved the petri dish that is the pediatrician's office and got some steroids for the croup and drops for the eyes, neither of which we administered all that well.  Oh, and did I mention I slept on a pull out sleeper chair in his room Monday night?  Yep. Because, you know, I was trying to get my very best rest this week from the start.  To be fair, Neal not only had the worse night on Sunday with the coughing and such, but that chair sleeper, with a duvet thrown on top, is actually pretty comfy.  And the humidifier right next to my head was probably a good thing, considering how I was feeling by about Monday afternoon - tickle in my throat and sinuses congested. Not good, man. Not good at all less than a week before a race.

Tuesday
I had mixed feelings but having gotten the green light from the pedi, took Elias to school that day, desperate to get some work done and start the process of getting my game face on in time for the weekend. Did I mention that on Monday afternoon, when Eli and I decided to hang out in the backyard for a bit, we confirmed that the barking I heard on Sunday night was from our next door neighbor's new dog. He barked at us the entire time we were outside. And all day Tuesday (I work from home which is why that's a problem). Awesome. I love when folks get loud, aggressive, barking dogs in lieu of alarm systems.

Wednesday
Feeling moderately caught up on work, I decided to run a few errands, first of which was to Title Nine to buy a - dare I confess it? - new sports bra. The thing is, I know you're not supposed to do anything new on race day, but the chafing my year-old frog bra has been causing the last couple of weeks was becoming unbearable, even on relatively short runs and especially in the rain, which is now what the weather report is calling for on Sunday.  So I faced a dilemma: change nothing but experience almost guaranteed under-boob chafing or buy something new and hope for the best.  I went with the latter.  Funny thing is, I ended up driving all the way to Mill Valley since the Berkeley store didn't have the size I thought I needed after trying sizes smaller and larger in two different styles (the frog bra temporarily unavailable), only to buy the size I could have bought at the first store had I had the other size to compare. You follow?  Annoying, but at least I felt pretty confident about my purchase.

Neal had a long commute on Wednesday, one of those days when he's technically working in the Bay Area but might as well be in New York as far as help with the wee one before school and during dinner and bedtime goes.  I was on my own all day and Elias was not cooperating. At all.  But he was still a little sick so I suppose I should cut him some slack.

Thursday
Ah, to breath again through my nose! How nice. I had a great run in the morning, after I dropped off Elias at school (I'd normally get up early but wanted to focus at least partly on getting as much sleep as possible this week, as previously mentioned), then spent the rest of the day wrapping up a large order.  My hairbrush broke in the afternoon.  I know it's a minor calamity but annoying nonetheless - I don't have time to go buy a new one!

Otherwise, without going into too much detail, there's this other thing I've been dealing with all week that I worried would be an issue on race day but now seems like maybe it won't be after all. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. Period.

Friday
Today's been a pretty decent day so far, actually (hopefully I didn't just jinx it). I took advantage of a drop-in policy at school that's pretty reasonable, with attendance light on Fridays anyway, and Eli went to school for about four hours this morning so I could catch up on work and start to re-focus my attention on this weekend. In the process, I bugged Neal to fetch a few boxes of photos and scrapbook stuff (alas, no actual scrapbooks to speak of after, oh, sixteen years of collecting memories) and dug out all the swag from my first marathon experience with Team in Training, in Big Sur, nearly eleven years ago.


Race results, bib number, medal, of course, pictures, various TNT thank yous, the bracelet I wore with the names of my honorees ("too many damn names," as Coach Al says) - it was a little overwhelming, I have to admit.


Yep, that's Neal, then my boyfriend, now my husband, running the final 6.2 miles with me - just one reason I married the guy. He was a big part of the experience then and an even bigger part this time around, solo parenting our 3 1/2 year old almost every Saturday morning for nearly five months, without a car, to boot. Now that's supportive.


The bib! The medal! Soon I'll have a collection going!


And the results - 5:33:22. Not a great time, but not a horrible time considering I was then, like I am now, recovering from a knee aggravation and the incredible head-wind we faced that day from miles 10 to 20, give or take. Based on my training runs I'd been hoping for a finish time between 4 1/2 and 5 hours. When my knee started really hurting between miles 12 and 14, I just wanted to finish.  I remember afterward everyone complaining about how their time was about 1/2 hour slower than anticipated, thanks to that head-wind.  Getting into training this time around, I figured a PR would be a sure thing - I know what I'm doing this time as far as the importance of strength training and stretching, I'm going to push myself on the mileage (run 20 miles when the range is 18-20, rather than stopping at 18 and saying, "yeah, that's enough"), the course is a little less challenging (so I hear), and, let's face it, 5 1/2 hours isn't a terribly tough time to beat.

And yet, several weeks later I experienced almost the exact same injury at the exact same point in training.  So, once again, my goal is simply to finish - cross that finish line on Sunday and enjoy the 19 bands, the arch of fire, the views at the top of the 5-mile hill, the various Oakland neighborhoods and communities we'll be running through, and of course all the finish area shenanigans. Wish me luck! And stay tuned for a post-race recap hopefully sometime next week!

Not only am I actually blogging for the first time in several weeks, but I actually had pasta this time!

I'm solo parenting again so the wee one and I headed to Homeroom, Oakland's spot for "fancy mac 'n' cheese," as said wee one calls it, after his dance class this afternoon. We had an early dinner (thus avoiding the crowds) of little mac for him and vegan mac for me (I didn't want the cheese so much as the mac - I'm not vegan but just, you know, feel better when I consume fewer animal products, moreso as I get older and especially before a run). Delicious, as always. And yeah, we may have split a homemade oreo cookie after but I gave the wee one the bigger half.  I swear.



If I wrap up all my post-solo-parenting-13-hour-day stuff soon, I may actually watch a little of The Long Green Line, a cross-country running documentary about legendary high school running coach Joe Newton. Unlike a lot of running movies, this one has a great online presence.  Available on Netflix (but, alas, not streaming), you can also watch the entire documentary on Hulu.  When a Twitter friend recommended it, whoever manages their Twitter account replied directly to both of us. Now that's promotion!

So how are things going for me? Well, with just over two weeks until the marathon, I'm honestly not sure what my game-day strategy is yet.  After a two-week hiatus from running, partly because of IT band issues I've mentioned before, which have been plaguing me since late January, and partly because of a nasty virus that swept through my entire family, even developing into pneumonia for the wee one (not fun, by the way, for the record), I surprised myself with a pretty decent 10.5 mile run last Saturday.  It was supposed to be my 20-miler, my longest run pre-marathon. So on the one hand, I'm disappointed that the most I've run this training season is 14 miles.  But considering I ran maybe 10 miles in all of February, I was pretty happy with what I was able to do last weekend and how my knee felt during and after.  I'd finally made it in to a sports medicine/orthopedic doctor the week before and a physical therapist that very afternoon. Rather than a true IT band syndrome, she seems to think what I've been experiencing is more of a neuromuscular issue with the stabilizing muscles on that leg - not necessarily true muscle weakness but kind of like the muscles have gotten lazy and are not stabilizing the knee the way they should be, resulting in that leg being slightly knock-kneed when my foot strikes the ground, creating more tension and friction where the IT band meets the outside of my knee on that leg. 

She gave me a few key exercises to do to strengthen those muscles, which I did religiously last week, and I've really noticed a huge difference in just the first week alone.  Ideally I'd take more time to recover and work my way back up to 20, then taper for three weeks or so before a later event.  But I've wanted to run the Oakland marathon (or 1/2, as was my motivation last year) for two years now and part of me is tempted to go for it with a "just finish" strategy.  I have until the morning of to decide if I want to unofficially run the 1/2, officially run the full and hope for the best, or push back to a summer or fall Team in Training event with not only more training ahead of me but a bit more fundraising as well (San Diego Rock 'n' Roll in June and Nike Women's in San Francisco in October are the leading contenders at this time, after Oakland, of course).  Whatever I decide to do, I'm just relieved to finally be up and running again. Tomorrow I'll go for another "easy 10" and see how the knee feels as I head into the final two weeks before the big day.

Whoa, it's been awhile, huh? Quickly, as an update to the last post, as I'm sure you've been on the edge of your seats all this time wondering how that pre-run dinner of sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and rice went down. Let me just say I shan't be partaking of the brussel sprouts again anytime soon. Perhaps it was the apples and apple juice I added to the sweet potatoes in the hopes my toddler would eat some, or the brussel sprouts I could hardly get down - either way, that was the least GI-friendly pre-run dinner I've had yet. I guess it works for some, but not this runner.

The following day, however, I did have a pretty good run for the first ten of 14 total miles. I'd been nursing what I think was a strained muscle or ligament or something-or-other behind my left knee since early January (nope, not bursitis, thankfully), and stretching and icing has seemed to all but eliminate that aggravation. But during my 14-mile run three weeks ago my IT band along my right knee started speaking up. I should know from past experience to stop and rest as soon as the pain starts up (when I trained for Big Sur in 2001 I experienced the exact same injury at the exact same point in my training but along the other knee...I made it through training and the marathon but didn't run consistently for years after that). But I didn't. It was simply annoying from miles 2 to about 10 when all of a sudden the soreness turned into pain. I continued to run/walk for about two more miles, even using a wooden roller at the 12 mile water stop to try and roll it out a bit. I finally came to my senses and stopped running shortly after that point and walked the last nearly two miles of the course. I ran very little the next week, took the following weekend off completely (hence no pasta and a movie post), and then attempted to run again the following Tuesday morning. I made it about half-way around the lake when the stabbing pain started up again. I took the rest of that week off, successfully finished a 2-mile test run last Friday and ate this for dinner, but on Saturday morning my run only lasted about 8 minutes. I walked another half-mile or so before turning around to walk back to my car and take care of a little shopping while I waited for the rest of my teammates to finish what should have been my 16-mile run.

Talk about bummed. I've yet to run again. This past week, in addition to a lot of evening stretching, icing, and ibuprofen as often as I actually remember to take it, I did 35 minutes of strength training plus a short yoga routine on Monday, about 25 minutes of lap swimming on Tuesday, aerobics for my cardio on Wednesday, and about 40 minutes of brisk walking (while pushing my son up and down a hill in his trike, I might add) plus another short yoga routine yesterday. My knee feels totally fine, of course, during all of this but an attempt to run again tomorrow will be the true test (we're supposed to do 8-10 during a bit of a step-back week but I'll be happy to make it once around the lake). Swimming kicked my butt on Tuesday so I'm not worried about maintaining my cardio fitness and endurance level during this break from running but with the 18 and 20 mile runs looming over the next two weekends, I am worried about whether or not I'll be ready to run 26.2 miles on March 25th.

Even so, I'm prepared for as much running tomorrow morning as my knee will allow, having made this for dinner tonight and planning to watch this running-related movie in a bit. Wish me luck!

Since we recently upped our Netflix queue, I can finally start to watch some of the running movies folks have been recommending, like Run Fat Boy Run.



Hey, man, whatever motivates you, right? Also, add Thandie Newton to the list of actors tripping me up with their previously unbeknownst to me non-American accents.

For dinner, I'm going to give the exciting rice-sweet potatoes-brussel sprouts medley a go. Yep, I bought brussel sprouts. Super excited about it, too. Mmm hmm. Anyway, I figure I've got to do everything in my power to prepare myself for tomorrow since I'm still nursing a mysterious back of the knee aggravation since we ran Lake Chabot on the 7th, followed last weekend by the even hillier Redwood Regional Park 12-miler. I skipped out on Tuesday's run, did yoga that evening, and cardio cross-training on Wednesday. I felt pretty good on Thursday so while I missed my morning track workout due to solo parenting, I ran about 3 1/2 miles after dropping my son off at preschool. And back came the pain about a mile in. Bummer, dude. I'll see how it feels after 14 - hopefully - miles tomorrow but it may be time for a visit to a sports doc or the like. Sigh.

Fundraising - I just can't quit you! In addition to donating 75% of proceeds from the sale of TNT/LLS runner silhouette race bib inspired thank you notes, I'm taking orders for chocolate covered candied orange slices just in time for Valentine's Day!


With citrus harvesting time right around the corner (in fact, I have a feeling we'll have a counter full of oranges from the tree in our backyard by the end of this weekend), and considering you get dozens of these highly caloric confections from each batch of just four oranges, I figured I'd put the two projects together in an attempt to make that final push past my fundraising minimum of $1800 (I'm so close!).


To get your order in, just make a donation of $10 - that's it! - to my online fundraising page.


Ten bucks will get you a nicely packaged half-dozen orange slices. But wait, there's more! Each $10 donation will also earn you one entry into a drawing for one of three gorgeous glass bead jewelry pieces made by my aunt, Jolina Adams.


She sent over three gorgeous pieces, all with the signature TNT color purple.


Perfect for V-Day!

What's that you say? Spanglish isn't a running movie? I beg to differ. We actually upped our Netflix queue so I could have a running movie each week, as I've quickly gone through much of what I wanted to see via instant play. And, as I'm currently reading Run Like a Mother (one of the raffle items up for grabs on Sunday!), I've been thinking a lot about my fellow mother runners, why is it I enjoy running so much more after having my son than I did before (solitude, being able to actually give in to that constant feeling that I'm racing the clock, etc...but more on that in a later post), which, naturally, made me think of Téa Leoni's character ("left!"). While hilarious to watch, as a mother, she's a bit nutty, don't you think? And that's the other thing I've been thinking about a lot lately, how all the women in movies are either childless, presumably because they've been busy pursuing other things (probably the subject of the movie), or, if they are mothers they're either absent (deceased with the cause of death often a total mystery or in a coma) or crazy. And if they're absent, it's pretty likely they were also cheating on their husbands before they fell into a coma and/or died. What's up with that, Hollywood? Anyway, it'll be interesting to watch the film all these years later and three plus years after having my own kid and picking up running again.



So what's for dinner? Well, I originally planned to try my mentor Laura's pre-run dinner of brown rice (but using the leftover black rice from a couple of weeks ago), sweet potatoes, and brussel sprouts - she's explained that the sweet potatoes combined with the brussel sprouts make a complete protein, without using any meat (and while I almost always crave a cheeseburger the night after a long run, I'm not in a meaty mood the night before). Thing is, while I appreciate brussel sprouts aesthetically (they look like miniature cabbages! so cute!), I've never cared for the taste, so I think I subconsciously left them off my list when I stopped by Trader Joe's last night. Without the greens, I decided to make a sweet potato variation of the black rice salad I enjoyed so much, using a basmati rice pilaf mix, three small sweet potatoes (cooked like the butternut squash, but for only about 30 minutes instead of 40), about a tablespoon of chopped green onion, with some slivered almonds and chopped, dried cherries sprinkled on at the end.

Not bad, if I do say so myself. By the way, in case you're wondering, I took last week off after feeling worn down and possibly sickly following three days at home with a sick toddler. But Neal made this "salad" on Friday, also from Sunset magazine. While I've enjoyed many recipes from this latest issue, I'm sorry to say this one was not a keeper.

With the fundraising event at See Jane Run this Sunday fast approaching, I thought it was high time I did a follow-up post to my new year, new raffle post a couple of weeks ago to let you all in on all the fabulous prizes that have been so generously donated to our in-store raffle.  Here's the list, somewhat in the order the items were donated:

• $20 gift certificate to See Jane Run, also hosting the brunch-style shopping event (mimosas, anyone?!)
• a "Beauty Bash" at Benefit Cosmetics in Berkeley (valued at over $800!)
• Gu T-shirts and samples of highly sought after new flavor: peanut butter!
• signed copy (signed by co-author Sarah Bowen Shea) of Run Like A Mother
• certificate good for copy of Train Like A Mother, by the same duo as above, out in March 





• $15 gift certificate to James & The Giant Cupcake (I can personally vouch for these cupcakes, more often than I should admit)
• free entry to any Brazen race (I've heard nothing but great things about their races)
• $25 gift certificate to The Pasta Shop
• $25 gift certificate to Crepevine
• Q-Link Pendant (a $99 value!)
• a 1-night stay courtesy of Personality Hotels (winner's choice of 4 hotels in San Francisco's Union Square area!)
• gift certificate good for a pizza from Zachary's!
• $100 gift certificate to First Crush restaurant in San Francisco
• $25 gift certificate to La Farine





• $20 gift certificate to Homeroom (yummy mac 'n' cheese restaurant I've blogged about before) 
• $20 gift certificate to Great Harvest PLUS one loaf free each month for a year!
• Free Functional Movement Screen at SOL (Sports + Orthopedic Leaders)
• $50 gift certificate to Puccini & Pinetti in San Francisco

Phew. Not bad, eh? We tried to really highlight the Rockridge shopping area in Oakland, since that's where the See Jane Run store is, but we have quite a few donations from elsewhere in the world of running and in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco (many of which you'll enjoy even if you're not a runner!). So if you haven't already donated to buy your raffle tickets in advance, do it now! Raffle "tickets" are 2/$5 or 10/$20 in advance (you can think of these as "entries" if you donate online but rest assured we have a spreadsheet and actual raffle tickets so it's all good - you will be in the drawing on Sunday if you donate online!); 1/$5 or 5/$20 on the day of the event. And while most of the raffle items will be best enjoyed by a Bay Area resident, that's not necessarily true for all items (and hey, aren't you due for a visit??) and you DO NOT have to be at the event to win.


That said, if you are at the event on Sunday from 11 am to 1 pm, get there early because we'll have goody bags chock full of, well, goodies for the first 50 shoppers! Seriously, these bags courtesy of See Jane Run are already full from their latest race and I haven't even added the Gu or the Luna bars!

So other than fundraising, you might be wondering how my actual training is going so far? Pretty well, especially considering I was suffering from some serious IT band woes around this point in my training for Big Sur in 2001. I do have a new pain - some soreness on the inside of my knee, wrapping around from my calf muscle along that tendon, along the side of my knee to my quad, ever since we did 10 miles at Lake Chabot a couple of weeks ago. I was blaming my shoes but got the green light at TranSports earlier today (no pronation whatsoever! and in neutral running shoes, no less!) and walked out with a foam roller instead. Stretching, strength training, and cross training are, it seems, just as important as clocking in the miles. I'm hoping to add in a bonus yoga workout once or twice a week beginning next week since I only have about a month left to use a Groupon good for 10 sessions! All that said, I'll aim to complete 12 miles this weekend in one of Oakland's gems, Redwood Regional Park.

Stay tuned tomorrow for another edition of pasta and a movie (and, because I know you were looking for it last Friday, an explanation of what I ate and watched - or didn't - last week)!

This week, it ain't pasta I'm eating and it ain't really a running movie I'm watching. But carbs will be had and to offset the unconventional running movie choice, I'll start the evening program with the NOVA episode Marathon Challenge. Off and Running, the feature presentation, is more of a coming of age story and if you're a longtime reader of this blog, you know I'm a fan of female coming of age stories, even though I have little in common with the subject of this documentary:

With white Jewish lesbians for parents and two adopted brothers — one mixed-race and one Korean — Brooklyn teen Avery grew up in a unique and loving household. But when her curiosity about her African-American roots grows, she decides to contact her birth mother. This choice propels Avery into her own complicated exploration of race, identity, and family that threatens to distance her from the parents she’s always known. She begins staying away from home, starts skipping school, and risks losing her shot at the college track career she had always dreamed of. But when Avery decides to pick up the pieces of her life and make sense of her identity, the results are inspiring. Off and Running follows Avery to the brink of adulthood, exploring the strength of family bonds and the lengths people must go to become themselves.

That synopsis is from the film's website. Here's the trailer:



Looks pretty good, don't you think, and with enough actual running footage to fill the figurative tank for tomorrow's ten-mile run (our first "easy ten"!).


To fill the literal tank, I'll be making this "salad" from the latest issue of Sunset Magazine. Turns out my best runs seem to follow the nights I have rice, not pasta, so now that we're getting into double-digit mileage, I'm starting to get a little more serious about what I'm eating all week long but particularly the night before a long run. Downside is it'll take me about as long to make this salad as it will to run 10 miles tomorrow morning! (And that's long!) Also, I'll be running in brand new shoes, brand new shoes that are currently still on the UPS truck, ready for delivery. Well, at least it's not the night before the marathon, right?

My fundraising is going really well, thanks to all the early and generous donors! Thank you, thank you! But I'm not going to rest on my laurels. No sir, I'm organizing yet another raffle with the help of three other teammates, which will take place at an in-store fundraising event at See Jane Run in Oakland on Sunday, January 22, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  This brunch-style shopping window will include mimosas and snacks, a 5% discount to shoppers (with 10% of all proceeds during the two hours going back to LLS!), goody bags for the first 50 shoppers (have Gu, will shop!), and a drawing of fabulous items including but not limited to a Benefit Beauty Bash for the winner and a few friends (all the deets in a later post), a copy of the book I'm currently obsessed with when I have a few rare moments to read, Run Like a Mother, plus a certificate good for a copy of Train Like a Mother, the duo's next book coming out in March!  Check out the Facebook event page to RSVP and for updates on raffle items, what you can expect in your goody bags, etc.! To buy raffle tickets (2/$5 or 10/$20 in advance; 1/$5 or 5/$20 at the event), make a donation right here - you don't have to be at the event to win! That said, I sure hope you'll make it if you're in the area!


In other fundraising news, this has been in my shop for a few weeks, but a busy few weeks it's been, so I'm just now getting around to blogging about it.  Did you know Team in Training has a relatively new corporate team program? And Google is one of them! Since I make phone cozies for Android phones, that gave me the idea to create a TNT cozy with 80% of the proceeds going to my fundraising efforts this season!


And in other Etsy news, I added a new "limited edition" case to the shop yesterday.  Oooh, sparkly! (Yes, there's glitter in that there felt!)

Yeah, okay, so it's not a running movie, but it looks funny and after this week, week two of two weeks at home with a three year old, I need funny.

And anyway, we cross-train on Wednesdays; some of us even spin. So there. Plus, young Dennis Quaid. Swoon!

I did, however, have pasta. Pretty boring again this week - pasta with chicken and Trader Joe's pesto sauce, plus some beets on the side.

Happy New Year!

If you run and like movies, and you're actually reading my blog, you knew this one was coming.



In the four years since it was made, the documentary Spirit of the Marathon has become a must-see movie about running, particularly if you're training for an endurance event. Because, c'mon, running 26.2 miles is absurd. And yet I'm drawn to the challenge again and watching the trailer makes me a little misty, I gotta admit.

So what's for dinner? Well, since there will be a fair amount of cooking going on this weekend, I'm keeping it simple: vegetable radiatore and turkey bolognese, both from Trader Joe's. Easy and good (and the pasta sauce has carrots in it - don't tell the 3 year old!).

By the way, a big thank you and congrats to my 12 (handmade) days of Chrimstas - runner's edition - raffle donors and winners.  I had more items up for grabs than donors between Dec. 1 and 17, so some folks won more than one item.  Thanks to Sammie, both Amanda Fs (I know two Amanda Fs!), Laura, and Margaret.  I hope you enjoy your goodies, all courtesy of generous Etsians.  I have a few additional raffle items that have been donated over the last couple of weeks so stay tuned after the holidays for another chance to donate to win! (Not that you have to wait to donate!)  And in the meantime, Happy Holidays!

Holy moly, what a week! Since I'll be home (well, I'm always home but you know what I mean) with the wee one during the last two weeks of 2011, and because I'm self-employed, that has meant I've tried to crank out as many orders as possible in the two weeks and three days I had to work this month.  I honestly lost count by about Tuesday but I believe I sent out a dozen orders this week, which is insane; to compare, I'm lucky to get 2 to 3 orders out each week during normal business conditions.  And for the most part, considering that higher than usual volume, things went pretty smoothly.  I did threaten myself that I was considering quitting at one point during a reprint but, you know, what else am I going to do?

Anywho, I did manage to make all my workouts this week: strength training on Monday, buddy run on Tuesday, cardio on Wednesday, coached track workout on Thursday (waking up for all of them at 5:30 am, I might add).  And tomorrow I'll run 8 miles and then stuff my face at an honoree potluck immediately after.  I'm looking forward to it.  But I'm not as prepared as I have been the last couple of Fridays.  No pasta tonight.

Neal gave me a couple extra hours this evening to wrap up work by picking up said wee one and taking him to Chipotle, bringing home a couple of carnitas tacos for me (with rice! y'know, for the carbs!).  I'm not sure if we'll watch a movie, but if we do, I've been a little in the mood for The Last Days of Disco.



No, you're right, it's not really a running movie, per se, but there is that one scene where she goes running in the park. In her trench coat. Okay, so it's a bit of a stretch but it's been one of those weeks.  Mainly, I think I just want to see the scene at the end ever since I heard Love Train on the radio not too long ago.



(I love how this clip has captions, you know, so you can sing along.) I just love that scene, don't you?

I'll be back next week with a proper "pasta and a movie" post.  In the meantime, just one day left to get in on my 12 days of a runner's Christmas raffle! Donate by tomorrow! Winners announced on Sunday!

...another beautiful fused glass pendant by Elayne Isaacs!

Because, after all that running and sweating and sudsing up with a bar of trail runner sport soap, you might want to enjoy a night out and this purple pendant would be just the thing to pair with those black skinny jeans you can finally squeeze your booty into!


As with the last pendant Elayne donated, this one has been added to a simple, black choker which you could easily switch out for a chain of your own, and will arrive packaged in a purple organza gift bag.  Keep it for yourself or gift it!  To be entered in the raffle to win this or one of the other goodies up for grabs, just make a donation of $5 or more before Saturday, December 17th.

This is the final day of my 12 (handmade) days of Christmas - runner's style - but the raffle will be open to all who donate through the rest of this week.  And I'll be back on Friday with another round of pasta and a movie.  Yep, I'll be running on Saturday, and on Christmas eve, and on New Year's eve! Cancer doesn't take any time off for the holidays so why should we?  Amirite?

...a bar of trail runner sport soap by TaosDawnSoap!

I think your running buddy might be trying to give you a hint.


Once I saw that my second raffle attempt might be acquiring a 12 days of Christmas theme (since I was getting such a great response from generous Etsians to my raffle request convos), I started looking for products in the bath & beauty category specifically made for runners (or even athletes, more generally). And I gotta tell you, there's not a whole lot out there.  Apparently only the already perfectly clean and coifed need to further pamper themselves. Doesn't make much sense, does it? I think I spot an open market, for any of you who are soap makers out there.  In the meantime, I think this bar of trailer runner sport soap oughtta do the trick, made with, and I quote:

...lavender, ginger and lemongrass.The soap is made with saponified oils (coconut, vegetable and olive), distilled water, finely ground bentonite clay (for a lovely lather).

Sounds perfect after those long Saturday runs, doesn't it? In addition to an entire line of soaps, Dawn is also a painter!  Check out her newest shop.  And for a chance to win this soap or one of the other 11 items in the raffle, just make a donation on my Team in Training fundraising page. Just one day left (and then another week to donate) - stay tuned tomorrow for the 12th and final day!

...a set of custom bib coasters by 26MileStones!

Talk about a clever way to display your race bibs! You send your bib to Allison, and she transforms them into these amazing, commemorative keepsakes that you can use!


Allison also makes magnets and Christmas ornaments. Plus, she's an 11-year alum with TNT, currently training for her second triathlon with the organization!  It's amazing how many runners and endurance athletes I've met through this process who have some connection to Team in Training.

As usual, to be entered in the raffle to win either a gift certificate good for a set of custom bib coasters or one of the other items up for grabs, just make a donation by December 17th.  Since I started this raffle a week and a half ago, how about a little reminder as to how I plan to handle raffle entries?


If you've already donated, donate once more (any amount) and you get matching entries for this donation PLUS your previous donation. Stay tuned tomorrow for day 11!

After much research (and determination of what would be available on Netflix instant play), I've decided that tonight's running themed movie will be Saint Ralph, based on the true story of ninth grader Ralph Walker, who in 1954 set out to run the Boston Marathon in a sort of complex attempt to pull his mother out of a coma (as both had been said to be "miracles"):



Doesn't it look good? Plus, Campbell Scott. Swoon. 

For dinner, we're having this Santa Rosa Valley Salad, more of a rice dish but loaded with carbs all the same and oh so yummy.  The leftovers are just as good, too.  Tomorrow - 8 miles!

...a race medal display OR bib holder (winner's choice!) from RunningOnTheWall:

I love looking at runners' medals (I just have the one, myself) so I'm partial to something like the above example, but Meli has agreed to let the winner of this raffle item choose between a medal display OR a bib holder:


I'm telling you, after trying to organize another raffle for an in-store event next weekend, I'm newly blown away by the generosity of the Etsy sellers I contacted for this round.  Take a look at Meli's shop to see all of your options, should you be the lucky winner of this raffle item.  And if you're Christmas shopping, Meli also has some really adorable coat racks and key racks.

To enter, all you need to do is donate $5 (or more!) to my Team in Training fundraising campaign.  You could win today's item or one of the other 11 goodies up for grabs between now and December 17th. Stay tuned tomorrow for day 10!

...a race bib scrapbook by LauraElaineDesigns!

And not just any race bib scrapbook - a purple race bib scrapbook (TNT color! You probably don't need reminding by now, but just in case...).


I believe Laura is having baby #2 right about now, so she sent me this scrapbook well in advance and let me tell you, there's a lotta love put into these. Which will make archiving those race bibs really easy (well, you know after the hard part - running the race!). Laura has a ton of great, pre-made scrapbooks in her shop (for triathlons, too!), as well as individual scrapbook pages and runner die-cuts if you're more of a do-it-yourself person.


If you'd like to be entered in the drawing to win this race bib scrapbook (or one of the other great items up for grabs) just make a donation in any amount of $5 and up before December 17th!  And stay tuned tomorrow for Day 9!

...one of the most unique running pendants I've ever seen, courtesy of RunForYourLife:

I've seen a lot of stamped running necklaces (26.2, etc.) and don't get me wrong - I like those a lot - but Susan's soldered glass pendants definitely caught my eye.  Above is the pendant Susan sent and below you can see the adorable packaging it was sent in:


The pendant comes in a soft blue bag with a yellow ribbon and then gets tucked into a little gift box similar to the ones in the image above. Susan definitely has that wow factor down!  This pendant would be perfect to keep but is also definitely gift-ready.

If you'd like to be entered in the 12 (handmade) days of Christmas - runner's style! - raffle, all you have to do is make a donation in any amount of $5 and up!  Winners will be announced on December 18th!  Stay tuned tomorrow for day 8!

...a key ring wristlet by ShopMimiGreen, featuring Team in Training colors (including old school TNT green)!

Wouldn't this be the perfect thing for carrying your keys, etc., post run, while you wait for the rest of your teammates to cross the finish line (because you're that fast)?  Or to take to those 5:50 am track workouts - you'll be able to find this colorful wristlet in the early dawn light!  Not a runner? No problem - this key ring wristlet would be great for running errands.


ShopMimiGreen does have a shop on Etsy (which is how I found them) but operates primarily from their independent website these days, where you'll find designer dog collars, leashes, and a lot of pictures of irresistibly cute pugs.  All of ShopMimiGreen's items are 100% handmade in the U.S. and as they say on the site, "your dog loves designer collars." But you probably already knew that. And I think you'll love this designer wristlet, too.

If you'd like to be entered in the raffle for a chance to win this or one of the other 11 items up for grabs between now and December 17th, just hop on over to my fundraising page and make a donation (just $5 gets you in...but of course, feel free to donate more for more chances to win!).  Stay tuned tomorrow for day 7!

...an "I heart running" charm necklace by Michelle Hartney!

When I was searching Etsy for just the right raffle items to solicit, I was thoroughly charmed (wocka wocka) by Michelle's running necklaces. I asked if she'd be willing to donate this one and she said yes!


Once again, I'm truly amazed by the generosity of Etsians (and runners - I don't think it's a coincidence, do you?).  And check out these wooden geode Christmas ornaments - how unique would that be on your tree this year, eh?

As with the other 11 items up for grabs in this 12 (handmade) Days of Christmas runner's style raffle, all you have to do to enter to win is make a donation (just five bucks!) on my Team in Training fundraising page.  Stay tuned tomorrow for Day 6!

...a hula hoop? That's right, and not just any hula hoop...a travel hula hoop by Oakland-based Whoopkat.

Kat even made a purple and gray one for me (TNT colors, in case you need reminding)!  I was going to include this in my first raffle, but then I thought, wait a second, runners need to do cross-training, and hooping is great for those core muscles, so why not include it in this more runner-friendly raffle?  I cleared it with the coaches, too, so as long as you're not attempting to break any world records or anything, you can safely incorporate a little hooping into your cross training schedule should you be the lucky winner of today's raffle item up for grabs.


And in case you're wondering how the travel hoop works (I know I was), I made a little instructional video for you:



Nope, no hooping here. This took several takes (did I mention I'm solo-parenting my three year old this weekend?), and an earlier version did include about four attempts to get the hoop going. By the time I got it going I'd slowly turned my back - and backside - to the camera. That version will be deleted, thank you very much.

Anywho, if you'd like to "whoop it up" just make a donation in any amount of $5 and up between now and December 17th (you can check out the other items up for grabs here). Stay tuned tomorrow for day 5!

...a wrap bracelet from TheRunHome!

I initially contacted Debbie about her runner's necklaces but as she suggested, why not offer something a little different and go with a bracelet instead?  And the message is perfect, since we're all running for so many reasons, not least of which are the hundreds of thousands of folks battling blood cancers every day, in addition to all of our individual, personal reasons (makes me think of how my mentor Laura started her blog, devoting individual posts to different reasons she runs). For a chance to win this wrap bracelet (or one of the other eleven items up for grabs between now and December 17th) just hop on over to my Team in Training fundraising page and make a donation in any amount of $5 and up!

Stay tuned tomorrow for Day 4!